US tech giant Meta Platforms says it is eliminating the third party fact-checking program on Facebook, Instagram and its other social media platforms.

US media outlets suspect the move is being made to prepare for the inauguration of Donald Trump, who will be sworn in as president on January 20.

In a video posted on the company's website, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that the systems aimed at managing content on the firm's platforms have become "increasingly complicated."

He said that too much content is being censored as a result. Zuckerberg added that Meta will now focus on "restoring free expression."

He also announced that the fact-checking program will be replaced by a "community notes" system, similar to the one used on X, which is owned by Elon Musk.

The new approach will leave fact-checking up to users of a platform. Meta plans to introduce the new system in the United States first.

Meta launched the fact-checking program in 2016. The aim of the measure was to combat misinformation. The company suspended Trump's accounts after his supporters stormed the Capitol building in 2021.

But since last year's presidential election, Meta has been trying to improve its relations with Trump. The firm donated 1 million dollars to a fund related to Trump's inauguration.